The Concert for Diana hosted at Wembley Stadium by Princes William and Harry in memory of their mother raised £1.2m for charity, it was announced today.
The success of the July 1st Concert held in front of a 62,000 crowd in the stadium and watched on television by millions more people around the world ensures that eight charities will receive at least £150,000 each from the proceeds.
Although the event was first and foremost a tribute concert, both Princes William and Harry were keen that any proceeds should be shared among the eight charities which they had selected to be beneficiaries.
They are the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, which was founded after the Princess’s death; Sentebale, the Lesotho children’s charity which Prince Harry founded in memory of his mother; and the six organisations of which the Princess was Patron at the time of her death: the Royal Marsden and Great Ormond Street Hospitals, Centrepoint (of which Prince William is now Patron), The Leprosy Mission, The National AIDS Trust and English National Ballet, who also performed at the concert.
The Princes came up with the idea of a concert in order to celebrate their mother’s life and to commemorate her achievements 10 years on from her death. Staged on what would have been Princess Diana’s 46th birthday, the unique six hour live show was broadcast around the world and featured 21 performances by some of the Princess’s and Princes’ favourite artists. In between performances, the audience were shown filmed interviews with ordinary people whose lives were touched by the Princess.
Tessa Green, Chairman of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said “We are delighted to have been involved in the Concert for Diana which has been a fantastic experience for the whole hospital community. Our guests and staff who attended had an amazing time and this wonderful donation is the icing on the cake.”
Keith Nicholson, Acting National Director of The Leprosy Mission said:
“We are absolutely delighted with this news. An amount of £150,000 will mean that an enormous number of people can be cured of leprosy and not suffer the stigma all too often associated with the disease. Now that we know the amount involved we will be looking at funding a specific project which will make a significant difference to the lives of many people affected by leprosy.”
The eight charities will also benefit from the proceeds of the concert DVD, which will go on sale on 5th November.
